The Whirling Dervishes and Orthodox Islam Because their sama‘ or “spiritual recital” comprises a number of various elements, such as remembrance of Allah (dhikr), singing, dancing, and instrumental music, it seems best to mention some general considerations about the Islamic shari‘a before discussing each of these separately, in order to reach a more valid conclusion that is at the same time more general in scope. Read more...

Translating Reliance of the Traveller I began translating Reliance of the Traveller in Jordan, out of personal need for a shari'a manual, to know and practice Islam in my own life. Making it available to others was an afterthought that came to me after I had set out to produce a work in which I could look up the questions that I needed to know without having to memorize it all. Read more...   The Hadra and the Sacred Law I was one of those who asked our sheikh about the relation of the hadra to the shari‘a or “Sacred Law” which is the guiding light of our tariqa. As Muslims, our submission to the law is total, and there are no thoughts or opinions after legally answering the question “Does the hadra agree with orthodox Islam?” Because it comprises a number of various elements, such as gathering together for the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), singing, and dancing, we should reflect for a moment on some general considerations about the Islamic shari‘a before discussing each of these separately. Read more...   Islam and Evolution It seems to me that the very absoluteness of the theory's conclusions tends to compromise its "objective" character. It is all very well to speak of the "evidence of evolution," but if the theory is thorough-going, then human consciousness itself is also governed by evolution. This means that the categories that allow observation statements to arise as "facts", categories such as number, space, time, event, measurement, logic, causality, and so forth are mere physiological accidents of random mutation and natural selection in a particular species, Homo sapiens. Read more...   Letter to Dr. Abdullah Besa told me that after I spoke with you the other day, you called back and while mentioning your discussion with ‘Abd al-Latif about the hadra, said “Some people have taqwa in a lot of things, but when it comes to Sufism, it all seems to collapse.” We were later talking, and she said, “Dr. Ahmad seems to have taken it as a rule that when two scholars disagree about a ruling, the one who says it shouldn’t be done always takes precedence.” She thought for a moment and added, “What it means is that there are no more schools of thought, only the one that says no.” Read more...   The Muhammadan Reality Question: Many Pakistanis and people of the Naqshbandi tariqa (and maybe of others) consider the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to be Nur Allah, the ‘Light of Allah’, and find it offensive that we call the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) bashar, a ‘human being’, even though the Qur’an states him to be so. I have also been made aware of a hadith in Tirmidhi that states that the prophets (upon whom be peace) were created from the Nur of Allah and the first amongst them was the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace). Do you have any knowledge about this matter? Read more...